NBCUniversal’s Megan Mauck named Woman of the Year at Rise Awards

Announced during a ceremony in London this week, the Rise Awards recognise notable achievements from outstanding and inspirational women in roles across the M&E industry, including a Special Recognition Award, Rising Star Award and the Rise Woman of the Year Award. The nominations cited the talents and achievements of inspirational women working in a variety of media and broadcast technology roles.

Rise received 424 nominations from across the globe, with attendees from Australia, US, Malaysia, UK, France, Norway and Spain. More than 400 guests attended the sold-out event, to recognise the achievements of winners and nominees in fourteen categories.

Rise Founder and CEO, Sadie Groom, said: “Now in its fifth year, the Rise Awards continues to go from strength to strength. The 2024 ceremony at Troxy was the culmination of a challenging task for our judging panel, selecting this year’s winners from an exceptionally high calibre of nominees. Congratulations to all those that took home an award, we feel privileged to champion the talents of these inspirational women and diversity advocates.”

Rise aims to open up more opportunities for female broadcast professionals through holding quarterly networking events, delivering an award-winning mentoring programme, and providing education to next-generation talent.

The ceremony was also streamed globally on Rise’s YouTube channel.

Full list of award winners and shortlisted candidates:

 

Technical Operations Award | Sponsored by Vizrt

This award celebrates a technical operations team member who has gone above and beyond the requirements of their day-to-day role to make a difference, whether it’s delivering outstanding client service on a particular project or service line, resolving a difficult problem or supporting a colleague or client to help achieve this. Technical Operations encompasses all levels from junior operators through to technical supervisors and managers working across all broadcast services.

SHORTLIST:

April Ha, Encompass Digital Media

Julie Mulvihill, Ross Video

Kala Tully, Picture Shop

Kate Dickerson, EMG Connectivity

Megan Andrews, BBC

Weronika Kolodziej, Deluxe

Gina McClifty, DoubleTake Sports - WINNER

 

Product Innovation Award | Sponsored by Clear-Com

This award recognises the importance of revolution and invention for the broadcasting sector today and for the future. Fulfilling either a product development and/or product management role, this nominee will have led or contributed significantly to a product where the outcome was both engaging and empowering, as well as making a difference by creating tangible benefits to the industry.

SHORTLIST:

Anita Westman, Evertz

Kristie Fung, TMT Insights

Payal Gilda, Magnifi

Tanya Daley-Antoine, Endeavor Streaming

Melissa Davanzo, Paramount Global - WINNER

 

Business Operations Award

This award will go to an individual who takes the resources available to them and turns them into the finest content that we see on screens today. These resources include finance, workforces, legal etc and the person in the business operations role will ensure that they are delivered to the right place at the right time with the highest levels of quality. This person can work in a broadcaster, manufacturer, post production house or service delivery company and will excel at making sure the workforce and clients are happy and the business is reaching its targets.

SHORTLIST:

Marsha Garner, Evertz

Thamizh Selvi, Synamedia

Victoria Tuzova, Elecard

Kahleah Webb, EMG/Gravity Media - WINNER

 

Student of the Year Award | Sponsored by SMPTE

Our student of the year will be a stellar representative of their educational institution. They will be the most outstanding student of their year but not necessarily with the highest grades. She will have shown determination to succeed and demonstrated a desire to learn, improve and exceed their potential.

SHORTLIST:

Emma Schug

Irene Muñoz López

Sigrid Svae

Tia Shenton

Amy Woods - WINNER

 

Marketing Award

This award will commend an outstanding woman who is working in a marketing or PR role in the industry; either in-house or for an agency or as a freelancer.

SHORTLIST:

Clare Butler, Grabyo

Jesse Humphrey, Diversified

Leanne Tomlin, Perifery

Carlie Bonavia & Gisele Santos, Moments Lab - WINNERS

 

R&D Engineer Award | Sponsored by Red Bee Media

This award recognises a high achiever, problem solver and team player who represents the very best of the broadcasting profession.

SHORTLIST:

Amy Rajaonson, France Télévisions

Avigail Camon, LiveU

Karen Troiano, Agile Content

Dagmar Driesnack, Rohde & Schwarz - WINNER

 

Advocate of the Year Award

This Award is given to a male working across the media technology sector who has driven both internal and external initiatives to support gender diversity. Over the last year they will have worked to support or develop new programmes of work that encourage, promote and champion gender diversity within their own companies or wider industry community. They will have also used their voice to drive conversations and ensure that the lack of gender diversity remains a priority for their colleagues and the industry.

SHORTLIST:

Andy Shenkler, TMT Insights

Ben Wickham, Sky

Keith Frost, Arqiva

Scott Kerr, Sky

Mark Wynter, Picture Shop

Thomas Pearson, Bitmovin - WINNER

 

Influencer Award | Sponsored by Disguise

This award will go to an individual that creates influence, communities, has a voice in the industry and brings people together. They can work in sales, marketing, journalism, business or any other role and will be recognised by their peers and community as an influencer.

SHORTLIST:

Lucy Trang Nguyen, Accedo

Nakiesha Koss, Adobe

Natasha Jones, BT Media & Broadcast

Jenny Priestley, TVBEurope - WINNER

 

Project Management or Delivery Award | Sponsored by Iron Mountain Media & Archive Services

This award celebrates women who have exceeded in delivering transformational projects, on-time and within budget. Our shortlisted nominees have exceptional organisational and leadership skills, as well as outstanding abilities in managing multiple stakeholders and multiple tasks.

SHORTLIST:

Gaylen Clutter, Evertz

Kate Mackenzie-Doyle, Arqiva

Rhona Keegan, EMG/Gravity Media

Roisi Proven, Ad Signal

Sarah Donoghue, Sky

Bobby Warner, BT Media & Broadcast - WINNER

 

Sales Award | Sponsored by Perifery

This award is open to any woman in a sales role in the broadcast industry working either in a manufacturer, service provider, broadcaster, media publisher or trade show.

SHORTLIST:

Misaki Nagaya, CNNI

Paloma Santucci, Accedo

Yvonne Picken, BT Media & Broadcast

Radhika Vora, Prime Focus Technologies - WINNER

 

Production Support Engineer Award | Sponsored by Riedel Communications

An organised and skilled Production Support Engineer, who represents the very best of our Broadcasting Profession. She has a strong understanding of the broadcast chain, offers outstanding troubleshooting skills, implicitly relates to relevant standards and demonstrates the ability to fault find from first principles.

SHORTLIST:

Brittany MacRae, dock10

Jen Patterson, EMG/Gravity Media

Najua Ojeil, LiveU

Selina Walton, NEP Australia

Lucy Moore, Hotcam - WINNER

 

Rising Star Award | Sponsored by Harmonic

The Rising Star award will recognise women who are industry newcomers, with four years or less industry experience, but who are considered as stand-out performers, innovators and emerging leaders in the broadcast & media industry.

SHORTLIST:

Charlotte Mills, Hotcam

Louise Jones, Warner Bros Discovery

Rebecca Jackson, Caretta Research

Siri Berntsen, Irdeto

Zoe Zropf, DoubleTake Sports - WINNER

 

Business Leader Award | Sponsored by IBC

This award, sponsored by IBC, will recognise the achievements of a woman running a business within the broadcast industry (either manufacturer or service provider), for example, a CEO, Managing Director, COO, or business owner.

SHORTLIST:

Terri Davies, Trusted Partner Network

Mardhiah Nasir, IPSB Technology

Dara Urquhart, Red Bee Media - WINNER

 

Company Award for Investment in Women | Sponsored by Ross Video

The winning organisation will have made a significant time or financial investment in recruiting and retaining its female workforce. They will be ensuring equal pay,  giving their female talent a voice, providing flexible working practices and have a no-tolerance attitude to sexism in the workplace. This company will celebrate the success of its female team and be able to demonstrate the steps they have taken to do all of this.

SHORTLIST:

MainStreaming

80six

TMT Insights

BT Media & Broadcast - WINNER

 

Rise Special Recognition Award

As shared by Rise Founder and CEO, Sadie Groom: “This woman has made a huge impact in the broadcasting world, creating new standards for accessibility that have helped in significant ways and made a fundamental shift in how broadcasters engage with this particular community. Her impact has been particularly significant in her work on national events such as the UK Election campaign and night, the Eurovision Song Contest, FA Disability Cup, the Queen's funeral and Kings Coronation, Glastonbury and the Paralympics.

WINNER: Lesley McGilp, Red Bee Media

 

Woman of the Year Award | Sponsored by Zixi

This special award is chosen by the Rise Advisory Board and is open to any woman from across the sector and at any level. The Award is for an extraordinary and inspirational woman who has made a significant contribution within her field and to the industry at large.

WINNER: Megan Mauck, NBCUniversal